Spice Routes Cafe opened its doors Monday at the Morean Arts Center, Seventh Street and Central Avenue, in the part of the center that used to be the gift shop. Open during arts center hours, it will serve breakfast, lunch and snacks, with inside seating for 40 to 60 people and sidewalk tables for about 20.

Judy Staunko, one of the founders of St. Petersburg's enormously popular Saturday Morning Market, will run the cafe. She also operates Spice Routes catering services and has another small cafe at First Unity Church in St. Petersburg.

Touting its selections as "global soul food," the menu includes butternut squash salad, a shredded beef salad and a Turkish lentil salad. Entrees include a Mediterranean lamb meatball sandwich, a turkey mango wrap and a Chinese chicken salad wrap.

The adjacent Art Lounge is also open and is available for reading, computer work and spillover from the cafe. A wall of shelves will hold most of the Morean's large library of arts books, which always have been off-limits to the public. Visitors can peruse the books on site as they sip coffee or tea purchased at the cafe.

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Our own Wicked 'Wiches and Taco Bus are in the running to be featured on The Great Food Truck Race on Food Network. In the show, food trucks must complete challenges each week or face elimination. The winner receives $100,000, which would likely buy a lot of gas. In order for them to make the cut, they need votes. (As of Tuesday afternoon, they were ranking 77th and 95th in the voting.) To do your civic duty, vote early and often here: foodtrucks.teamdigital.com.